>> David Moreton’s “Edge of Seventeen” nabbed the Audience Award for BestFeature, while Tim Kirkman’s “Dear Jesse” won the Audience Award for BestDocumentary as the 1998 San Francisco International Gay & Lesbian FilmFestival came to a close this weekend. The Audience prize for Best Short waspresented to Laurie Schmidt for her film, “Sleep Come Free Me“, while ToddDowning’s “Dirty Baby Does Fire Island” won the Absolut Audience Award forLesbian & Gay Animation. Festival attendance topped 75,000 this year, withorganizers reporting that nearly half of all programs were completely sold out.

>> The first Maine International Film Festival will run July 10-19 inWaterville, Maine. Highlights include a tribute to New York-basedproduction company Good Machine, with co-topper Ted Hope on hand tointroduce Good Machine-made films (Hal Hartley’s “Flirt,” Todd Haynes’“Safe” and Hilary Brougher’s “Sticky Fingers of Time“) and speak atseminars. Director Costa Gavras will be on hand to lead a seminardiscussion of political Cinema, with his classic film “Z” set to screen.Documentarian Frederick Wiseman will present “Public Housing,” about aninner city Chicago Housing development.

>> For the first time, the Venice International Film Festival is acceptingsubmissions for a special 4-day series of screenings at the Tribeca FilmCenter, July 14-18. Festival Director Felice Laudadio and SelectionCommittee member Deborah Young will be in New York to screen “non-studioAmerican Independent titles.” Films will be screened for considerationin the Festival’s five main sections: Official competition,Non-Competitive, Short Film Competition, Midnight Screenings andinternational Critics Week for first or second time directors.

Complete features and shorts will be screened on film. Works InProgress, (with a guaranteed completion by mid-August) will be screenedon video or in double system format. Eligible films must only have beenreleased in North America and not shown in any film festival outside ofthe US or Canada. Sandy Mandelberger of International Media Resources isorganizing the New York Submission Screenings.

>> The Huntington International Independent Film Festival wrapped,handing out several awards. Jacki Ochs’, “Letters Not About Love“won the Dziga Vertov Visionary Artist Award, which comes with $2500 inKodak Film Stock. The Orson Welles First Feature Film Award went toDerek Cianfrance, “Brother Tied.” The John Cassavetes Creative ArtistAward went to director, David Williams, “Thirteen.” The Andre BazinIndependent Film Artist Award was given to Hal Hartley for his CannesScreenwriter Award winning film, “Henry Fool.” Francisco Aliwalas,“Disoriented,” and Alison Swan, “Mixing Nia,” shared the Jean RenoirAward for Storytelling. The Shirley Clarke Artistic Achievement Awardwent to Alan Baxter and Charles Ricciardi for “Barriers.”

Special Acheivement Awards were also given; for Originality, CraigRichardson, “Anima;” for Screenwriting, Jason Sklaver, “Grey Areas;” forScreenwriting, Robert Weston Ackerman, “Origin of the Species;” forComedy, Michael Bofaro, “For a Few Lousy Dollars;” for New York Story,Charles Merzbacher, “Jane Street.” The George Stoney Advocacy Award inDocumentary Film was awarded to Jonathan Stack & Liz Garbus, “The Farm.”Special Achievement in Documentary Film award was given to Bill Donovan,Michael Harrington, and Yusuke Motohashi, “The Hidden Truth: The Recordsof B- and C-Class War Criminals.” The Artistic Achievement Award forOriginal Vision was given to Serge Marcotte, “The Sickroom.” JimTrainor’s, “The Fetishist,” was chosen as Best Animated Short Film.Timothy Cox was honored with a Special Achievement by a Florida StateUniversity Student for his film, “Tyger Tyger.” The Maya Deren Award forArtistic Achievement in Video went to Sam Zanger, “Onegin.” An award forArtistic Achievement in Ethnographic Video was given to Andrea Leland,Kathy Berger, & the Garifuna of Belize, “The Garifuna Journey.”